While I disagree with Simon about the NSA as well as capitalism, I still think he has important things to say about the good ol’ u.s. of a. As most people know, he is not just a “tv guy” talking out of his ass. He has years of experience covering the front lines of the drug war. His time in journalism and “hollywood” has given him a unique perspective. Here is his talk so you can make up your own mind.

For those of you who want to spend less time, here is a shortened version of Simon’s talk in the form of a Guardian article.

For those of you who watched and/or read the above and thought, “I needs me some more David Simon…” Here is his website:

You might have noticed, the video is part of a playlist of talks at The Festival of Dangerous Ideas. I’ve listened to quite a few and would say it’s probably worth poking around a bit. The subjects are broad enough that if you listen to enough of them, you get a sense of the zeitgeist. I didn’t get a feeling for the zeitgeist solely from listening to these talks of course, but if I were forced to sum it up quickly, it would look something like this:

It is a time of flux, uncertainty, and innovation. It is a time of great polarization, of dulled consciousness and hyper self-consciousness all at once…a time of surfaces…a time where the forces of destruction are crushing the forces of creation, where more and more people are living what feels like an apocalypse while the lucky few are living in luxury. All of them feel the course is not clear and most feel they are not heading in the right direction; like a ship unmoored, carried by powerful dangerous currents not fully understood…